Spectacle lens for aphakia patients

Abstract

A spectacle lens having an anterior surface curvature, the anterior surface having a spherically shaped central vision surface area from 12 to 16 diopters and a peripheral, aspherical surface area surrounding the center vision spherical area, the aspherical surface area formed with a uniform diopter gradient varying from the central vision surface area edge to the outer circumference of the lens. The aspherical diopter rate of change, approximately one-third diopter per millimeter which is reduced from the spherical area toward the outer lens circumference, improves the peripheral vision of a person having aphakia when looking through the central vision portion, while eliminating the pin cushion effect found in conventional lenses which result from overpowering in the outer areas of the lens. The lens is useful for improving the vision of one having aphakia when looking through the central vision area and teaching the patient to rotate his head rather than his eyes to more clearly observe objects by re-establishing a new center vision point.

What I claim is: 
     
       1. An aspheric cataract spectacle lens for improving the peripheral vision of a person suffering from aphakia by forcing head movement for central viewing of side objects, the improvement comprising: a lens body, said body having an anterior surface and an interior surface,   said anterior surface having a central spherically curved area and a peripheral aspheric curved area,   said aspheric curved area having a diopter rate of change beginning at the edge of said central vision area and extending to the body periphery of approximately a one-third diopter per millimeter,   whereby the person is provided with improved peripheral vision of a side object when said person centrally fixates his eye relative to said lens body to further improve vision of said side object when said person rotates his head with his eyes centrally fixated looks directly at said object to make said side object clearer than if the person rotated his eye thus looking through said aspherical portion of said lens body which obscures said side object.   
     
     
       2. An aspheric cataract lens spectacle as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said central curved area has a diameter of between 12 to 15 millimeters in radius and   a particular uniform diopter curvature of between 12 - 16 diopters.   
     
     
       3. An aspheric cataract spectacle lens blank having a central spherically curved area on its outer surface for physiologically improving a person's vision, the improvement comprising: a lens body having an outer surface and an inner surface,   the outer surface having a central spherically curved area about an ocular axis,   the central area having a particular uniform diopter curvature of between 12 - 16 diopters and a radial length of between 12 - 15 millimeters from said ocular axis, and   an aspherical peripheral area surrounding said central area,   the diopter curvature of said aspherical peripheral area being the same as the central area adjacent the outer perimeter of said central area and radially decreasing in diopter power to between 3.25 to 7.50 diopters at the outer periphery of said lens body, whereby the person is provided with improved peripheral vision of a side object when said person centrally fixates his eye relative to said lens body and to further improve vision of said side object when said person rotates his head with his eyes centrally fixated looks directly at said object to make said side object clearer than if the person rotated his eye thus looking through said aspherical portion of said lens body which obscures said side object.   
     
     
       4. An aspheric lens for a centrally fixed eye of a person to provide wider fields of vision for said eye that does not rotate behind said lens comprising: a lens body, said body having an anterior surface and an interior surface,   said anterior surface having a central spherical curved portion and a peripheral aspherical portion, the portion adjacent the edge of said peripheral aspherical portion having over-plussed characteristics to provide bothersome blur of vision of an eye rotating from a centrally fixed eye looking through the optical center and train the eye to stay centrally fixed and the person to turn his head,   said aspherical portion having a severe reduced diopter power relative to said central spherical portion to severely flatten said anterior surface toward the edge of the aspherical portion to reduce the prism angle at the edge to improve peripheral vision of a side object when said person centrally fixates his eye relative to said lens body and to diminish the width of the ring scotoma characteristic of high plus lenses by 50%.   
     
     
       5. An aspheric spectacle lens for a person suffering from aphakia providing an alternate to bifocals comprising: a lens body, said body having an anterior surface and an interior surface,   said anterior surface having a central spherical curved portion to provide magnification by movement relative to the eye along the line of sight and a peripheral aspherical portion,   said aspherical portion having a curvature means relative to said central spherical portion to improve peripheral vision of a side object when said person centrally fixates his eye relative to said lens body and to further improve vision of said side object when said person rotates his head and with his eyes centrally vixated looks directly at said object to make said side object clearer than if the person rotated his eye thus looking through said aspherical portion of said lens body which obscures said side object,   said aspheric curved area having a diopter rate of change beginning at the edge of said central vision area and extending to the body periphery of approximately a one-third diopter per millimeter to decrease ring scotoma.   
     
     
       6. An aspheric cataract spectacle lens for providing a base for bifocals by adding peripheral vision inferior to a bifocal area comprising: a lens body, said body having an anterior surface and an interior surface,   said anterior surface having a central spherically curved area for clear distance vision and a peripheral aspheric curved area for clear peripheral vision of a centrally fixed eye looking through the optical center of said lens,   said aspheric curved area having a diopter rate of change beginning at the edge of said central vision area and extending to the body periphery of approximately a one-third diopter per millimeter,   bifocal in said anterior surface keeping distance vision clear and peripheral vision clear inferiorly.   
     
     
       7. A method of training aspheric patients having eye lenses removed from an improved aspheric lens to provide the patient with clear distance vision and peripheral vision inferiorly comprising the steps of: providing a lens with an interior surface and a central spherically curved area, and a peripheral aspheric curved area of approximately one-third a diopter per millimeter,   fixing an eye of the patient behind said spherically curved area looking through its optical center to provide wider field of clear vision,   having a diopter rate of change beginning at the edge of said central vision annd extending to the body periphery,   moving the patient's head to provide clear central vision of side objects by re-establishing a new center vision point,   providing blurred vision for the eye rotating toward the side object when the patient's head remains stationary.   
     
     
       8. A method as set forth in claim 7 including the steps of: providing the central spherically curved area to provide magnifying means to enable the patient to read without bifocals.   
     
     
       9. A method as set forth in claim 7 including the steps of: providing a bifocal in said lens to prevent over-plussing of aspheric lenses with bifocal and prevent distorted ground images.